


Operation: Winter

by storiesinthedark



Series: The Winter Tales [2]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Bondlock, Christmas Presents, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Murder, Office Party, Secret Intelligence Service | MI6, Sex, Short Fics, Skiing, Snow, Snowball Fight, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-22
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2018-01-09 14:28:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1147078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesinthedark/pseuds/storiesinthedark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A companion set of fics for  <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/1110092/chapters/2234706"> "A Study in Winter." </a> </p><p>Twelve ficlets explore the life of James Bond and Q throughout the winter months at MI6 and elsewhere. </p><p>Each fic can be read individually. </p><p>Inspired by the Let's Write Sherlock Challenge 9.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 1: Snowed In

“I’m sorry.” The voice was calm and resigned.

Q pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the mobile, his personal mobile. This couldn’t be good. His mind raced trying to recall what on Earth this conversation could possibly be about. Failing to come up with an adequate explanation in the course of six seconds, he replaced it to his ear. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Bond said again, his voice yielding. “I wanted to be home by now, but instead I’m trapped in a bloody airport waiting out a storm.”

Q rolled his eyes. “There’s no reason to be sorry for that. I thought something had happened. Just get home safely.”

“I’ll do my best.” The line clicked off.

Q shook his head. “Idiot,” he mumbled, throwing his scarf over his shoulder and walking away from MI6 toward his flat, snow beginning to fall and settle on the ground around him.


	2. Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 2: Gift Giving

“004, there will be a door located on your right. Push it open and you should be back outside. Looks like no damage done. Pick your travel documents up from Station C and we’ll see you back at Headquarters.”

Q signed off. He exhaled heavily, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

“Thought I might find you here,” his voice crooned.

Q smiled. He turned around and leaned against his desk. “007.”

“Q.” Bond pulled himself away from the doorway and walked toward the Quartermaster. He smirked and held out a small wrapped package. “Merry Christmas.”

Q’s eyes widened as he stared from the box to Bond’s face. “Bugger all,” he muttered.

“Q?”

“I’m… How did I forget Christmas?” Q’s eyes didn’t leave the box.

Bond lifted Q’s face to meet his eyes. “It’s fine. You don’t need to get me anything.” Q smiled slightly before Bond continued. “Now open the present.”

Q’s smile grew brighter. He gently pulled the package from Bond’s hands and tore the paper, dropping it on the floor. He lifted the lid of the box revealing two tickets to the opera.

“I figured a nice night out would be well received.”

“Thank you.” Q smiled and reached up to kiss Bond gently. “Thank you.”


	3. Christmas Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 3: Meeting the Family

Bond sat at the table, stiff and unmoving, trying not to stare and make eye contact as the words flew around him.

“It’s absurd!” Sherlock shouted, leaning across the table and throwing a large rectangular box to the floor.

“It most certainly is not!” Q shouted in response. He huffed and picked up the box from the floor.

“It most certainly is! Why on Earth would I possibly want Cluedo?”

Q sat back in his chair and stared at Sherlock, his mouth pressed together in a thin line. Sherlock smirked.

“Was that really necessary, Sherlock? Wardley was just being polite. There is no need to act like such a child.” Q cringed as Mycroft called him by his given name. Mycroft rolled his eyes and stood from the table, walking toward the sitting room.

Sherlock glared as Mycroft left the room. He stood, sending one last glare towards Q, and stormed off in the opposite direction as Mycroft.

Q sat down next to Bond and leaned over. “And you wanted to meet them, why?”

“You’ve made your point.”

“This is why John no longer comes to Christmas dinner,” Q said, rolling his eyes and gathering his things to leave.


	4. All For Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 4: Winter Sports

The snow was still coming down outside as Q closed the curtains to the flat. Bond sat on the sofa flipping through the channels, a consistent stream of half sentences and over-stimulating colours. Q smiled as he watched Bond.

He walked over toward the closet and pulled out his coat, the door squeaking slightly as he closed it. Bond turned, shutting off the TV in the process.

“Where are you going?” Bond asked, looking over his shoulder like a lost puppy.

“Outside!” Q sang. He pulled his overly-large green parka on and began pulling on his heavy-duty brown work boots. He smiled and opened the front door, stepping out into the cold.

Bond rolled his eyes, but after sitting alone in the flat for ten minutes, he pulled on his black wool coat from the hall closet and stepped outside. He was immediately hit in the shoulder with a snowball. A large, dense snowball at that. He looked in the direction from whence it came and caught a glimpse of dark brown hair ducking behind a frozen shrub.

“Seriously, Q?”

Q snorted in return and launched another one that hit Bond in the shoulder.

“When did we become children?”

“When boredom set in.”

Bond rolled his eyes and crouched down to form a small snowball in his hands. He stood up and launched it in the direction of Q.

“Incoming!” he smirked.


	5. The Office Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 5: Awkward Holiday Party

Q stood in the corner of the large ballroom, clutching a glass of white wine close to his chest. He looked around at the decorations, paper cut snowflakes and strings of fairy lights, to “give the room some holiday spirit,” according to Marie from human resources. Q dismissed the decorations and surveyed the room carefully, cataloging every person who moved through the space.

“Q?” a familiar voice said from behind him. It sent a shiver down his spine. He smiled slightly and turned to meet Bond’s eyes.

“007.”

Bond leaned against the wall next to Q. “Is there a reason you’re hiding over here in the corner?”

Q took a sip of his wine. “Because I don’t want Anna from accounting to find me.” He returned his attention to surveying the room.

“Anna from accounting?”

“Yes. She has it in her head that I’m going to be the one she marries for whatever reason. We’ve never even seen each other outside of the office.”

Bond choked back a chuckle. He took a drink of the martini he’d been holding.  

“Don’t laugh, 007. The moment she spots me could be disastrous for all of us.” Q glared at Bond and gave another quick glance over the room. “Oh no... There she is, and of course she’s heading this way.”

Q pushed himself from the wall with the intent to head in any direction that wasn’t toward Anna, but Bond caught his hand before he managed to disappear. Q looked at his wrist held in Bond’s hand and then to Bond’s eyes.

“Happy holidays, Q,” Bond said, pulling him in for a kiss.

Q tensed for a moment, but then he relaxed, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around Bond lightly. When he opened his eyes, he looked in the direction of Anna, only to find a large number of people in addition to Anna staring at the agent and quartermaster.

Q released Bond and looked down toward the floor. “Right. Well… I better be off then,” he muttered as he headed toward the door.

Bond smirked. “Not exactly how I planned it, but it’s a start.”


	6. Feet in the Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 6: Holidaying Somewhere Warm

Q smiled as he walked along the beach, the sand warming his feet. He looked back at Bond, who followed not far behind.

“It’s beautiful here,” Q said, pausing to wait for Bond to catch up. “I’m surprised you didn’t suggest spending the holidays here sooner.”

“You don’t like flying, so I didn’t think this would be an option.” Bond smiled as he stood beside Q. Q reached out and laced his fingers with Bond’s.

“Yeah. I mean…”

“It’s fine, Q.” He squeezed the younger man’s hands and brought them to his lips to kiss them briefly. Q blushed.

“Come on,” Bond whispered in Q’s ear. “I have a brilliant idea of what we should do now. I’ll give you a hint. It doesn’t involve clothing.”

“I think I like this plan, Mr. Bond.” He smiled and they headed back in the direction of their suite.


	7. All the Fucks to Give

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 7: Overindulgence

Q moaned low and deep in his throat as he came, long ribbons striping his chest. His breathing began to slow as Bond thrust into him, slowing and eventually stilling, his cock pulsing as he came.

Q sloppily rubbed his hands over his face, another low moan escaping his mouth. Bond leaned forward and placed a kiss to Q’s swollen mouth.

“That was lovely,” he said, gasping for breath as he placed more kisses to Bond’s mouth.

“I know. That’s what you said the last time too.” Bond smirked.

He slowly removed himself from Q’s body.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Q groaned. “Any chance we could go again later?”

“Greedy bastard.” Bond walked toward the trash can in the corner of the hotel room and pulled the condom off. “Perhaps a bit later. I’m not as young as I once was. You’ve got to give me more than ten minutes between each fuck.”

Q rolled over onto his stomach, head perched in his hands. He grinned. “You haven’t complained about it since we got here.”

“Too much of a good thing does exist, you do know that right?”

“We haven’t hit that threshold yet.” Q crawled up the bed and leaned against the headboard, his grin spreading to his eyes. He looked like a wicked sprite out to cause more mischief.

Bond turned back and crawled to meet Q on the bed, resting his head on Q’s lap. “Give me ten minutes, okay?”

“Okay.”


	8. Pain Amidst the Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 8: Taking a Tumble

Bond was barely awake, stretched out underneath the duvet when he heard it. His mind drifted in and out of dreams and nightmares. The sound of pain, exhaustion, and embarrassment all rolled into one echoed outside the door of Bond’s flat.

For a split second, Bond did not move, the sound merely slipping into his subconscious, adding itself to the nightmares and dreamscapes. But, a second muffled cry shook something free. Bond bolted upright, breathing deeply. He threw the duvet off, grabbed his Walther from the bedside table and carefully moved down the foyer toward the door of his flat.

He opened the door; the wind from the winter storm raging outside sent a chill up his spine, and Bond regretted not taking the time to pull on anything over his pants. He shivered as he looked down and spotted Q amid the snow-and-ice-covered steps.

“Bloody hell!” Bond set the gun on the floor and rushed down the steps to Q’s side.

He didn’t give Q any time to answer before sweeping him into his arms and bringing him inside, shutting the door behind him with his foot. He placed Q on the couch and grabbed a nearby blanket.

“Glad you noticed, Bond,” Q spat out.

Bond rolled his eyes. “Yes, well. I wasn’t exactly expecting you to fall down the steps outside my flat.” He paused. “What were you doing out there anyway?”  

“I was trying to get into the flat. I slipped on the ice. I think I may have broken my wrist.”

Bond looked at Q and gently picked his wrist up in his hands. He moved it carefully.

“Does that hurt?”

“Yes!” Q said, biting back the pain in his voice.  

“We need to get you to medical.“ Bond kissed Q’s wrist gently.

“Okay.”


	9. A Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 9: Lazing About

Q wrapped himself in the duvet and hunkered down further into the bed, snuggling against Bond. He yawned and closed his eyes, listening to Bond’s heartbeat and breathing.

“You realise it’s half-one in the afternoon, right?” Bond said, wrapping his arms around Q and pulling him close so they were laying front to back.

“I know,” he whined. “But I don’t want to move. It’s warm here and I’d actually like to enjoy my day off. Seeing as they are so rare.”

He rolled over and pressed a kiss to Bond’s lips, light and gentle. Bond ran his fingers through Q’s dark curls.

“I’m not at all arguing with this. I just thought the tech maniac who is always working on a project to stave off boredom would like to know about the time he’s wasted today.”

Q smirked. “I can think of something we can do that won’t waste any more time. Care to join me?” He winked and crawled entirely under the covers.


	10. Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 10: The Competitive Spirit

As they stood hand in hand outside the Holmes family estate, Bond felt Q’s grasp become tighter and tighter. He removed his hand from Q’s, stretched it for a moment before placing it back in Q’s grip. He thought nothing of it. He looked over at Q and smiled, though Q focused solely on the door in front of them.

A few moments later, a red-haired women opened the door and ushered them into the foyer. She took their coats and pointed them in the direction of a small sitting room where they found Sherlock and John chatting.

“Wardley,” Sherlock bit as Bond and Q took seats on the opposite side of the room.

“Sherlock,” Q responded, his grip tightening on Bond’s hand once more.

Bond glanced over at Q and down to his crushed hand, but held his tongue.

“I take it we’re waiting for Mycroft?” Q asked, staring directly at his brother, his eyes unblinking and challenging.

“Late again,” Sherlock responded. “Probably too busy creating a war in North Korea to bother with dinner.”

Q rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

\-----

As the evening drew on, the conversations between the various Holmes brothers moved at a rapid pace. Bond watched as John hid himself in the various games Sherlock’s phone had to offer.

“They are always like this,” John remarked, not taking his eyes off of the phone. “I’ve just learned to ignore them.”

Bond began to smile at John’s resignation but was interrupted as Q pulled him into a passionate, overly dramatic kiss. Bond’s eyes widened, caught off guard, before he relaxed into the kiss.

“What was that all about?” he whispered in Q’s ear as Q pulled away from the kiss. “Not that I mind being kissed, but that was rather uncharacteristic.”

Q smiled but said nothing, turning back to join his brothers in conversation.

Bond blinked and plopped himself next to John. “What was that all about?”

John smirked, his attention still focused on the phone. “That? That was an attempt to rile Sherlock up.”

“Right,” Bond replied, his attention turning to the Holmes brothers.

Sherlock gestured wildly with his hands, while Q crossed his arms against his chest. Mycroft stood, hands by his sides, face unchanged through the conversation. Though Bond could hardly hear what they were saying from the distance he sat, he could tell the conversation was increasingly heated between the brothers, particularly the younger two. John smiled and tucked the phone away in his pocket, his hands folding on his lap. He licked his lips.

Sherlock threw his arms in the air and then turned with a flourish, heading directly toward John. He grabbed hold of John by the front of the shirt and kissed him, biting down on John’s bottom lip and eliciting a small whimper from John.

Bond moved out of the way as Sherlock approached and then watched for a moment before returning his attention to Q. Q’s eyes narrowed and a small frown had appeared on his face. His already crossed arms tightened further against his chest. Bond looked between the two brothers, Sherlock still deeply kissing John and Q still glaring at the two of them.

Sherlock released John and smirked. He walked back to his brothers. The conversation resumed as vibrantly as it once had before. Bond moved back toward John.

“Care to explain?” Bond kept his eyes on the Holmes brothers’ conversation.

“The competitive spirit.” John reached into his pocket and pulled out the mobile again.

“Ah,” Bond nodded.

He smirked wickedly as he crossed the room and dipped two fingers into Q’s shirt collar.

“Come along, Q. I’ve got plans before dinner.” He began walking away toward the staircase that led to Q’s former bedroom.

Q looked over his shoulder at Sherlock and Mycroft, smirking as he helplessly followed Bond. Sherlock glared at the pair as they exited the room, while Mycroft simply rolled his eyes at their childishness and walked toward the dining room.


	11. 006

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 11: Muuurder

It was supposed to Bond’s weekend off. Not that Bond ever really had a weekend off with Q, that tech workaholic, but theoretically he wasn’t supposed to be doing anything beyond supervising Q in their home lab. He laid in bed, Q curled up next to him, staring at the ceiling. For once, the ever-going train of thought was sitting at ease. Until his mobile rang.

Bond glared at the phone. “No,” he groaned.

Q shifted and rolled in the other direction, content enough to cover his head with the blanket to escape the sound. The phone continued to ring. Bond shifted, dropping his feet to the floor and grabbing his mobile off of the bedside table.

“Yes,” he said, as he crossed from the bedroom into the hallway. He could hear Q shifting once again. This time, no doubt, attempting to take up the entire bed.

“007,” Tanner’s voice on the other end of the line was calm and emotionless.

“Is there a reason you’re calling so bloody early on my day off?” Bond scratched his head and cracked his neck.

Silence on the other end of the line grew awkward before being broken by an inhale. “From what our sources are telling us, 006 has been murdered. You are to report in immediately for further instructions.”

Bond froze. This wasn’t possible. This couldn’t be happening.

“007. Report in immediately.” The line went dead.

Bond breathed slowly, every breath deliberate and an attempt to calm himself. He walked back to the bedroom door and peered in at Q, still snuggled beneath the duvet, entirely unaware of the conversation. He smiled sadly as he pushed the door open and walked across the room, taking deliberate steps on the floor so as not to wake Q.

He grabbed his jeans that he had haphazardly thrown on the ground the night before and pulled them on. From the closet, he grabbed a button-down shirt off a hanger and pulled it on with little trouble. He looked over to Q and smiled sadly. He moved close to Q and bent down to run his fingers through Q’s messy curls.

Q groaned and leaned into the touch, a small smile appearing on his face though his eyes remained closed.

“Wake up, Q. We’re needed in the office.”

 


	12. A Lesson in Skiing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wild Card: Author’s Choice!
> 
> Author Solicited a Prompt and Received: Teaching Q to Ski

“No. I refuse. No.”

“It’s not that hard Q. I mean, you snowboard. You strap a board to both feet. Strapping one to each foot isn’t that different.”

“And how would you know? You only ever ski.” Q crossed his arms and stared at Bond.

The argument had been going on for nearly two hours by this point. They hadn’t even left their room. Bond stood in the bathroom doorway, still only dressed from the waist down, while Q sat cross legged on the bed wearing only his long underwear. Q glared at Bond and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Sometimes you are so stubborn.” Bond’s gaze narrowed and he headed toward Q.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but the answer is still no.” Q eyed Bond wearily as he continued his slow approach.

“I think you’ll change your mind,” he smirked.

\---

Q gripped the ski poles as tight as his hands would allow him through his thick gloves, the rest of his body stiff as he tried to keep his balance on the skis.

“You’re not going to fall,” Bond said for what felt like the seventeenth time.

“You don’t know that. You have no proof that I will not fall.”

Q dug the poles into the snow and pushed forward, his skis sliding across the snow.

“You’re right, I don’t. But, I think it’s highly unlikely you will. You have decent---” He watched as Q’s skis crossed for the briefest second, causing him to tumble to the ground.

Q stared up at Bond, a pout appearing on his face. “You were saying?”

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Bond sighed.

He looked over to Q struggling to pull himself back up from his position on the ground. Q shot him a glare.

“When I get up, I’m going back to the room and you’re getting a gun that shoots flags only for your next mission.”

**Author's Note:**

> This collection would not have been possible without the amazing beta work of [come_anyway (gaffertapeandhope) ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/come_anyway/profile) . She is absolutely amazing. I also have to thank those who I wrote with during the Antidiogenes Club in December and January. You guys were awesome in motivating me to keep writing. Brit-picked as best as I could. All mistakes there are my own.


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